Territory



UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcnw JOHN MCAULEY PALMER, OF FORT GRANT, ARIZONATERRITORY.

WAVE-POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,833, dated January25, 1898. Application filed April 22, 1897, Serial No. 638,379, (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Jose: MOAULEY PAL- MER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Fort Grant, in the county of Graham and Territory ofArizona, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inlVave-Powers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in wave-powers of thegeneral type referred to in an application executed concurrentlyherewith, in which a movable float is employed to actuate a piston whichforces fluid through suitable mechanism to a conduit or receiver and inwhich a hollow bufferpiston rod carries pistons on its ends adapted tooperate, respectively, in the pressure-c3 1 inder and thebuffer-cylinder, the fluid being forced by the pressure-piston throughthe hollow bufienpiston rod into the bufier-cylinder and from thence tothe conduit or receiver.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in whicha constant pressure may be maintained above the buffer-piston which willbe entirely unaffected by the fluid forced into the conduit or receiverby the pressure-piston.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus in whichthe fluid which supplies the pressure above the buffer-piston may beforced therein by the pressure-piston until the proper quantity hasbeenobtained and then cut ofi, so that the pressure above the buffer-pistonmay be maintained irrespective of the operation of the pressure-piston.

\Vith these and other ends in view my invention has been illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a view of my complete apparatus, partly in section. Fig. 2.is a sectional view of the principal operating parts.

Beferrin g to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denotecorresponding parts in both figures, A designates a float which isconfined by the piles a, surmounted by a platform 0:, upon which theframe B, carrying the operating mechanism, is mounted.

The pressure-piston rod 0 is connected at its lower end to the float andcarries on its upper end a pressure-piston c,which operates in apressure-cylinder D, and is provided with upwardly-opening valves 65. Ahead E is secured on the top of this pressure-cylinder, and it isprovided with an eXLeriorly-threaded hollow extension e,which forms aguide-tube for the-buffer-piston rod F. The buifer-piston rod carries apiston f on its lower end, which operates in the pressure-cylinder abovethe pressure-piston and forms, in eifect, an adjustable head for thispressure-cylinder, being provided with upwardly-openin g valves f. ,Thebuffer-piston rod is arranged to fit snugly in the guide-tube e, andbushing e is provided to make a piston fit. The bufierpiston rod carrieson its upper end a bufferpiston Gr,which has a piston fit with andoperates in a buffer-cylinder g. A supportingcylinder H is arrangedwithin the buffer-cylinder beneath the buffer-piston, and this cylinderlimits the downward movement of the buffer-piston and piston-rod andsupports these parts when the pressure above the bufffer-piston is notovercome by the pressure beneath the piston f or adjustable head for thepressure-cylinder.

A screw-wheel I is arranged on the exten sion 6, and it supports thecylinder H, this screw-wheel being adjustable vertically and carryingthe supporting-cylinder with it to change the limit of the downwardmovement of the buffer-piston. r i A pipe J leads from the top of thepressurecylinder to the conduit or receiver j, being provided with avalve j. Another pipe K leads from the top of the bufier-cylinder andconnects with the pipe J between the pressure-cylinder and the valve j.A blow-oft valve is provided at the top of the buffercylinder.

The operation of the apparatus herein described is as follows: Theupward impulse of the waves acting on the float causes thelat-' ter torise and fall, and as it rises the pressure-piston compresses the airbetween itself and the pressure-cylinder adjustable head f until thepressure of this air is sufficient to open the valve f, which permitsthe air com.- pressed by the pressure-piston to passthrough the pipe Jinto the receiver. As the float and pressure-piston descend the valvesf" close and the valves d open to renew the supply of air above thepressurepistou It is well known that the impulses of the waves are veryirregular, and to provide for. this irregular movement and prevent theaction of the pressure-piston from injuring the parts of the apparatusand to give to the apparatus a substantially regular and even movement abuffer is provided above the buffer-piston, which controls and regulatesthe movement of the pressure-piston. To supply air to thebuffer-cylinder, the valve j is closed and the valve 76 opened, wherebythe air forced into the pipe J by the pres sure-piston will passupthrough the pipe K into the buffer-cylinder, and when a sufficientquantity of air has been obtained to provide a buffer of properresisting power the valve 71; is closed and the valve j opened. If thepressure in the buffer-cylinder is too great, the valve 7c may be openeduntil the pressure has been. reduced.

In the drawings I have shown the frame 13 rigidly secured to theplatform a and the pipe connection made of metal; but it is obvious thatthe frame may be pivotally mounted on the platform and the pipeconnections made of flexible tubing in order that the 0perativemechanism can be disconnected from the float and turned into ahorizontal position to protect it from gales and storms.

I have shown and described my invention as it is intended to use thesame for compressing air; but it will be distinctly understood that thesame apparatus can be employed for forcing gas, water, or other fluids.

with only such changes as will occur to a skilled mechanic.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wave-power, the combination with a 4 movable float, of apressure-cylinder, a pressure-piston operating therein and adapted to beactuated by the float, a conduit or receiver, a pipe connection from thetop of said pressure-cylinder leading to the conduit or receiver toconvey the air directly from said pressure-cylinder to the conduit orreceiver and a movable buffer located within the pressure-cylinder andoperating above the pressure-piston, substantially as described.

2. In a wave-power, the combination with a movable float, of apressure-cylinder having a closed head, a pressure-piston operatingtherein and adapted to be actuated by the float, a conduit or receiver,a pipe extending from said pressure-cylinder, below its head, to theconduit or receiver, and a buffer-piston arranged to operate in thepressure-cylinder between the pressure-piston and said head,substantially as described;

3. In a wave-power, the combination with a movable float, of apressure-cylinder, a pressure-piston operating therein and adapted to beactuated by the float, a buffer-cylinder, a buffer-piston rod carryingpistons on its ends adapted to operate respectively in thepressure-cylinder and the bulfer-cylinder, a concylinder and-carryingpistons on its ends arranged to operate respectively in thepressure-cylinder and the buffercylinder, an air conduit or receiver anda pipe leading from the top of said pressure-cylinder, immediately belowthe head, tothe air conduit or receiver for conducting air from thepressure-cylinder directly to the conduit or receiver, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a wave-power, the combination with a movable float, of apressure-cylinder, a pressure-piston operating therein and adapted to beactuated by the float, a buffer-cylinder, a bufier-piston rod carryingpistons on its ends adapted to operate respectively in thepressure-cylinder, a buffer-cylinder, an air conduit or receiver, a pipeleading from the pressure-cylinder to the air conduit or receiver andconnections intermediate of the buffercylinder and thepressure-cylinder, whereby the pressure-piston may force air into thebuffer-cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a wave-power, the combination with a movable float, of apressure-cylinder, a pressure-piston operating therein and adapted to beactuated by the float, a buffer-cylinder, a buffer device operatingabove the pressurepiston in the pressure-cylinder and means formaintaining a constant pressure above the buffer device and in thebuffer-cylinder substantially as described.

7. I11 a wave-power, the combination with a movable float, of apressure-cylinder, a pressure-piston operating therein and adapted to beactuated by the float, a buffer-cylinder, a piston-rod carrying pistonson its ends operating, respectively,in the pressure-cylinder andbuffer-cylinder, the pressure-piston and the piston on the lower end ofthe buffer-pis- 7 ton rod being provided with valves opening in the samedirection, an air conduit or receiver, a pipe J leading from thepressurecylinder abovethe piston on the lower end of the buffer-pistonrod and'connected to the air conduit or receiver and provided with avalve, and a pipe leading from the top of the buffercylinder to the pipeJ and connected therewith between the valve in said pipe and thepressure-cylinder and provided with a valve itself, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a wave-power, the combination with a movable float, of apressure-cylinder, a pressure-piston operating therein and adapted to beactuated by the float, a'buffer-cylinder, a buffer-piston rod carryingpistons on its ends ends adapted to operate, respectively, in thepressure-cylinder and the buffer-cylinder, an air conduit or receiver, avalved piped connecting the air conduit or receiver With the top of thepressure-cylinder and a valved pipe connecting the top of thebufi'er-cylinder with the pipe J whereby the air forced by thepressure-piston may be directed into the air conduit or receiver or intothe butter-cylinder,

substantially as describe d I JOHN MCAULEY PALMER. Witnesses W. T. MAY,CHARLES T. BOYD.

